Aruani Week Nov 2014
by Sophie writes and stuff
Summary: A collection of all my fics for November Aruani week on Tumblr. Fluff, angst, smut and much more!
1. Day 1: Missing You

**A/N: This is my first time attempting to write for a ship week so please be gentle with me! **

**Prompt: "Missing You". Modern AU - Armin works as a high-ranking medical professional and travels a lot for his job, and on his birthday he receives a video call from his two favourite people on this earth. (Set in the US because time differences were easier to work out that way)**

Watching the clock on his phone app, as over in his home time zone it turned from 23:59 to 00:00, Armin looked back at his laptop and saw the Facebook wall posts begin to flood in. Generic birthday wishes from people who were all but strangers to him now. His phone dinged, and he saw that both Eren and Mikasa had made the effort to send him birthday texts, and he smiled. Then a text came in from the person he had been waiting to hear from.

_"Are you awake?"_

He replied with lightning speed.

_"Yes"_

The next moment Armin's phone burst into life signalling an incoming video call from his beautiful wife Annie. Armin accepted the call instantly. He held the phone screen up so his face was in shot, and was in turn greeted with the sight of the petite blonde woman he loved so much.

"Happy birthday, love." she said with a smile.

"Thank you. How have you been?"

"Not bad. Work's driving me round the twist as usual. Some of these damn kids just can't seem to understand that kickboxing doesn't just mean 'beat the crap out of each other with no technique whatsoever'."

Armin laughed. "They'll get there eventually I'm sure."

"I hope so. How were your meetings today?"

"Productive. It seems the research is coming on leaps and bounds, enough to start running drug trials."

"That's excellent!" Annie enthused. "Would... that mean that you're going to come home soon?"

Armin sighed. "I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, they want me out here to be one of the leading professionals on the trials, or the first wave at the very least. I'm going to be at least another month."

"I get it." Annie was silent, her face a calm mask that Armin knew too well was disguising a storm of emotions.

Armin knew better than to force her to show those feelings, and instead changed the subject. "How's Flora?"

"She's okay. She cries a lot, she's missing her daddy."

As if on cue, a soft padding of footsteps was heard from Annie's side of the call. "Mommy?"

"Hi, sweetie, did you have a bad dream?"

"Uh-huh. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Daddy's on the phone. It's Daddy's birthday, remember? You gonna come sit on my lap and say hi?"

"Yeah!" Annie's face disappeared from view for a short moment and then Armin could see the faces of both his wife and daughter looking back at him.

"Hi daddy!" Flora said, an ecstatic smile on her little face as she waved at him.

"Hi sweetheart! How are you?"

"I... I miss you daddy." Armin saw his five-year old daughter's eyes brimming with tears and his heart ached.

"I miss you and mommy too, darling. I'm gonna try and come home real soon, okay? Are you being good for mommy like I asked you to before I left?"

"Yeah." Flora sniffled. "I'm eating all my vegetables and I always feed the fish before mommy takes me to kindergarten."

"Well done honey, I'm so proud of you." Armin was blinking back his own tears now.

"You feel okay to go back to bed sweetie? Mommy and daddy need to have grown-up talk time." Annie pressed a kiss to the top of Flora's head.

"Yeah."

"Say bye-bye to daddy then."

"Bye! I love you daddy!" Flora blew kisses at the screen, and Armin's heart broke at the adorableness.

"Bye darling, I love you lots like jelly tots." Flora hopped down from Annie's lap and was gone back to her bedroom. Armin saw that Annie was crying too, silent tears making shining tracks down her pale face. She wiped them away briskly.

"Sorry."

"Hey, what have I always said? It's okay to cry. You don't have to be a bitch to everyone." Armin grinned.

"Shut up, asshole." Annie shot back, the tears still falling even as she smiled.

"You should get some rest, it's nearly half past twelve for you." Armin said

"So should you, because that means it's 3:30 there in NYC."

"I can't fault your logic." Armin laughed softly. "I love you, Annie. Goodnight."

"I love you too, Armin."

The call ended, and Armin stared out of his hotel room over the New York City skyline, knowing his heart was back in Seattle with his wonderful family.

Work couldn't keep him here forever…


	2. Day 2&3: Bloodied Hands&Ghost

**A/N: Wooo look at me combining two prompts cos I'm an idiot who forgot to do day 2 on its own. This was difficult to write, it's the first time I've done aruani smut, and I just hope you enjoy it! **

**Prompts: "Bloodied Hands"/"Ghost". AU - What if Annie _had _killed Armin on the 57th Expedition?**

She looked down into the blond boy's eyes, and she faltered for a moment, but then her hand wrapped around his slim frame and his spine shattered in her fingers.

"ARMIN!" came a cry from behind her, and she saw Jean and Reiner riding towards her. She let go of Armin's lifeless body, straightened up and kept running towards her destination. Unfortunately, her hearing was far sharper in this form, and she still heard Jean's agonised cries. She risked one final backwards glance, only to see Jean bending over Armin's battered corpse, his body wrenching with sobs, and Reiner staring back at her coldly.

"Annie..." She saw him mouthing. "Why?"

* * *

><p>She still couldn't explain it. Even as she read the letter from Reiner.<p>

_Why did you do it, Annie? He was a good kid, he did nothing wrong. Everyone loved him. I thought you did too._

Annie thought back to their training days. Armin was one of the first people besides Reiner and Bertl to really communicate with her willingly. There had been Mina of course, but it had taken her longer to pluck up the courage to get to know Annie. But even clearer than that memory was the one of her finding him crying alone shortly after they reached HQ following the titan invasion of Trost.

"Their blood is on my hands. Eren, Mina, Thomas, Nac, Mylius... I'm useless..." He had been talking to himself, so he had almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a reply.

"No you aren't." Annie remembered putting a hand on Armin's shoulder. "And if I know even the tiniest fact about you, you'll see to it that they won't have died in vain. Remember that."

She remembered that Armin's shaking hand had reached up to clutch hers, his skin cold and wet with his tears.

"Th-thank you, Annie. You're a good person."

"I'm not. But if you think I am, then I'm glad you do."

The tears were in her own eyes now, as she stared blankly at Reiner's letter, the final words piercing her through the heart.

_I know you had to retrieve the target at all costs, but this was too much. Eren and Mikasa are still crying. Jean is still crying. All of us are. Your soul is stained with his blood now, Annie._

Annie looked at her hands, noticing that they were shaking. "Blood on my hands... But why his?" Her hands shook so hard that they ripped Reiner's letter clean in two. She closed her eyes and fell back down into her bed, and her unshed tears finally slid down her cheeks.

* * *

><p>"Annie..."<p>

Annie jolted awake, and looked over to the door of the bedroom. Standing there in the doorway was Armin.

"Very smart, killing the only person who would possibly have put two and two together and realised the true identity of the female titan."

"Wh-what the hell? Y-you can't be here! You're d-dead!"

"Funnily enough, I know that." Armin said simply, his arms folding as he leaned against the doorframe. "So, obviously I know why you killed me. But I'm here because I want to know something else."

Annie backed against the wall by the bed as Armin approached her.

"Were you ever really my friend? Or have you been acting all this time?" Armin stood over her, his eyes boring into hers.

"I... I was your friend, Armin..."

"And then you decided to kill me."

"It wasn't like that! I had to retrieve my target at any cost."

"You mean Eren? Well you failed that."

"I know!" Annie got up out of her bed, pacing angrily back and forth.

"You're awful. I can't believe I once thought you a good person." Armin headed for the door, and Annie grabbed his sleeve.

"Armin, wait, listen!"

"No, you listen!" Armin yelled, and in a split second Annie was backed against the wall, Armin's arms caging her in. "It's not even the fact that I _fucking died_, it's the fact that _you_ did it! The only girl I've ever thought I loved! I never even got to tell you that!"

Annie flinched at hearing Armin swear for the first time she could remember, and then his next words hit her like a freight train. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me. I loved you! I still do, but I can never forgive you for this."

"A-Armin..." Annie's tears started anew, rolling down her face. "I... I loved you too..."

"Bullshit." Armin said, calmly and coldly, frightening Annie far more than if he had shouted again.

"If it was bullshit, would I do this?" Annie grabbed him by the face and kissed him, channelling her anger and sorrow into passion. Armin responded frantically, and their mouths clashed in a beautiful yet bittersweet mess of lips and tongues. Armin's hands tore her nightshirt off and grabbed her exposed breasts, flicking her nipples with his thumbs and drawing primal moans from Annie. His mouth left hers to take one nipple in his mouth as he rolled the other between his thumb and forefinger.

"Aaah, Armin, oh fuck..."

Armin's free hand trailed down Annie's toned stomach and into the front of her pyjama shorts. His eyes widened as he felt how wet she was.

"Oh, Annie, you're so ready for me..." His finger brushed against her clit and she bucked her hips into his hand, moaning loudly. He claimed her lips in a kiss once more as he slipped a finger inside her, grinning into her kiss as she writhed in pleasure against him.

"Do it now, please…" Annie begged against Armin's lips, and he dragged her over to the bed, flinging her onto it. He shed his own clothes with lightning speed, and Annie barely had a chance to look at him before he was atop her, his erection pressing against her. They shared a look, a wordless communication of all the things they couldn't say, fearful that if they did, the moment would be lost. Then Armin positioned himself at her entrance, their eyes still locked, and Annie gave a small nod. He pushed, and slowly slipped inside her, making her gasp at the sensation. Armin remained still for a moment, savouring the feeling, then began to move in earnest with long, hard thrusts of his hips, making Annie moan every time. Annie wrapped her legs around Armin's waist, and pulled him down to her, so their noses were touching.

"Faster." she whispered, before pulling him into a frantic kiss. Armin complied, thrusting harder and faster until he was moving at top speed, with Annie moaning and squealing against his lips. He trailed kisses down her neck and bit down on the skin of her collarbone, sucking and nibbling.

"Oh, fuck!" Annie's hands grabbed onto Armin's hair, and he smirked against her skin, working his way along her collarbone leaving a trail of love bites in his wake. His thrusts became erratic, signalling that he was nearing his peak, and Annie worked quickly, flipping them so he was underneath her, before slowly pulling herself off him. Armin looked confused, then understood as Annie repositioned herself upside down, her legs either side of his head. He felt her lips wrap around his cock and moaned, burying his face between Annie's legs eagerly. His tongue circled around her clit and he felt her moaning muffled by his dick. Soon enough, Annie felt Armin's whole body shaking and he let out a groan as he came. Annie was mildly surprised at the taste, which really wasn't as bad as everyone had made it out to be. Armin meanwhile, renewed his efforts, and soon he heard Annie scream "Oh, fuck!" as she too came, her body tremoring as violently as his had. As the shaking subsided, Annie rolled off Armin and collapsed onto the bed, upside down and laying right next to him…

* * *

><p>The next thing she knew, it was morning. Annie awoke to an empty bed, completely nude, with her feet on her pillow.<p>

"Must've just been a dream… She mumbled to herself, looking down to the mess between her legs. "I suppose I'd better shower." She bundled herself into her towel and padded down the corridor to the shower room, the torn up nightshirt on her floor going unnoticed. She jumped into the shower, washing herself thoroughly.

However, it was only when she got out about ten minutes later that she looked in the mirror, noticing the very real purpling marks all along her collarbone…


	3. Day 4: Serendipity

**A/N: Hi everyone! Just an update, my day one fic was the most popular and got featured on the Aruani week tumblr! Hope you enjoy the rest of these fics!**

**Prompt: "Serendipity". Modern Christmas AU - A barista's innocent mistake adds an unexpected yet happy turn of events to two peoples' days. (Just for those who don't know, the definition of "serendipity" is "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way").**

"One toffee nut latte for Armin?"

"Thanks!" Armin grabbed the red cardboard cup from the barista, taking a sip as he headed for the door. Suddenly he coughed and spluttered as his taste buds registered the drink in his mouth. The beverage in his hands was most decidedly _not _a toffee nut latte. He heard the barista calling out again.

"One peppermint mocha for Annie?"

He saw a small blonde woman accept the red cup from the barista and nod in thanks. As she passed him, Armin put a hand on her arm.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes?" The woman looked up at him, confusion evident in her blue eyes.

"Um… I think the barista mixed up our drinks… I was supposed to get a toffee nut latte, but this is a peppermint mocha, which is yours, I believe."

The woman took the lid off her cup, and saw the toffee drizzle on the top of her drink. "Yeah, you're right, this isn't mine at all. Thanks." She passed the toffee nut latte to Armin and received her peppermint mocha in return.

"So, Annie, right?" Armin said, remembering what the barista had said.

"Yeah, that's right." Annie looked at the cup. "And you're… Alvin?"

"Armin." He corrected with a chuckle. "Did they really write that, or are you messing with me?"

"I'm serious, look." Annie turned the cup, and Armin saw that the barista had indeed written "Alvin".

"Damn it, one day they'll get it right." Armin said with a grin, and Annie laughed.

"At least Armin only has one spelling. Annie can be spelled in all kinds of different ways." Annie pointed out. "I don't think I've ever had it spelled correctly on my coffee."

Armin looked at the cup in his hand. "A-N-I, is that right?"

"Nope. A-N-N-I-E." She told him.

"Right. So where are you heading?" Armin asked conversationally as they walked out of the Starbucks together.

"Well I've been doing some Christmas shopping, now I'm meant to be going to the cinema, for some blind date that my friend Mina set up for me."

Armin was stunned. "Wait a second. Mina Carolina? Marco Bodt's girlfriend?"

"Yeah. How did you…?"

"I'm Marco's friend, and he was setting me up on a blind date today…"

They paused in the street in the chilly December air, and looked at each other.

"So… You're the hopelessly romantic dork with a great sense of humour once you get to know him?" Annie said with a grin.

"And you're the kinda grumpy to strangers but really rather sweet girl who could definitely kick my ass if I pissed her off?"

The pair burst out laughing.

"Good to know our friends think so much of us, eh?" Annie said as she laughed. "Still, you're not what I expected from the description I was given."

"You're not what I was expecting either." Armin reached out and took Annie's free hand. "But I think I can live with that." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Annie laughed. "Oh my god, you _are_ a dork."

"That's me." Armin grinned. "You don't even know the half of it yet."

"No, I'm sure I don't." Annie adjusted her hand in Armin's, so her fingers interlocked with his. "But you know what? I'd very much like to find out."

"Then shall we ditch the cinema, find somewhere to go where we can really talk to each other?" Armin suggested. "How does dinner sound? I know this fantastic little Italian place on the corner of…"

"Silver Street." Annie finished. "I love it there."

"Perfect."

Armin wasn't so sure that he believed in the magic of Christmas, but on that day he swore his own little Christmas miracle had been dropped right in his lap in the form of a petite blonde with ice-blue eyes…


	4. Day 5: Gamble

**A/N: Thank you everyone who's been reading! Sorry day 5 is late!**

**Prompt: "Gamble". Armin takes some time to reflect (unofficial subtitle is "let's play a game called How Many Synonyms for "Gamble" can Sophie Fit Into This Fic).**

_"I'm going to gamble too! And here's my wager!"_

The words echoed around Armin's head like the remnants of some long-forgotten song. He lay back in the bed and stared up at the ceiling. His own gamble had indeed produced almost the exact outcome they had desired... But at a considerable cost...

It had been weeks, no, months since Annie Leonhart had encased herself in crystal, and she still showed no sign of leaving her self-made prison. Armin had begged to see her but was dragged away flailing and screaming by two MP officials (and it would have been three had Armin not kicked the third soldier in the jaw during the struggle). Mikasa had found him outside the door to the underground cells, sobbing to himself.

"Armin. We know you love her. We understand. But you know seeing her will only make things worse. You have to remember your duties as a soldier."

Armin had stared up into Mikasa's eyes, seeing concern and compassion in them.

"You know what this is like though, don't you Mikasa? To love someone and be powerless to help them?"

Mikasa flinched. "That's different. Besides, how do you know Annie would even want your help in any way? You said yourself she didn't know how you felt."

Armin paused. Mikasa took his silence as her answer and started to walk away.

"She knew." Armin whispered to himself as Mikasa turned the corner and was out of his line of sight. His mind wandered to their training days.

He knew they had been discreet about their… whatever they were to each other, but of all people he was sure that Mikasa would have noticed something.

Something about about the way he and Annie locked eyes across the mess hall, the way he would frequently pick Annie for a training partner, the habit he had of making excuses to pass her in hallways and brush his arm lightly against hers…

It had all been part of their way of communicating when there were others around, the simple way to tell each other they cared.

And at night, Armin would sneak out of the boys' dorm, and meet her in the small knot of trees by the training grounds. He would often bring a book and read to her, and she would rest her head on his shoulder as he told her old-fashioned fairy tales, or stories of the world beyond the walls.

On the night before they chose their factions, Armin had been reading a tale about a princess who had a shard of ice in her heart, planted there by an evil queen...

* * *

><p>"<em>Only an act of true love could thaw the princess' frozen heart, so…"<em>

"_So all the prince has to do is kiss her and she's saved?" Annie interrupted._

"_Yeah, that's pretty much it." Armin sighed, and he closed the book and placed it on the ground next to him. "You always know how the endings go."_

"_Saved by an act of true love. It's like all the fairy tales. Would you do that for me if you had to?" Annie said, pretending to swoon into his arms. "Oh, Armin, my handsome prince, only love's kiss can break the spell upon me!" She laughed, but was silenced by Armin's lips covering her own, though it were only for a moment. Armin looked down at the girl laying in his arms and blushed._

"_S-sorry… I-I've always wanted to do that… And after tomorrow, well… We may not get the chance again…"_

_In one swift movement Annie sat up, and this time she was the one who initiated the kiss, and Armin wrapped his arms around her as he responded enthusiastically. The kiss simultaneously felt like it lasted hours and ended too soon._

"_Armin…" Annie began, her forehead pressed against his. "I… I…"_

"_Don't…" Armin whispered. "Don't say it. It'll just make everything harder in the long run."_

"_There's no way I can convince you to join the Garrison? You'd be a valuable asset to them."_

"_I belong wherever I can make the greatest difference. Therefore, my future lies with the Survey Corps."_

_Annie exhaled sharply and pressed her lips to Armin's briefly. "Just… let me tell you that I lov–"_

"_Shhhh. I already know." Armin told her, smiling. "The feeling is mutual."_

_They had sat there for a long time afterwards, sharing soft, sporadic kisses and speculating about how different life could've been if they had met in another way…_

_As they had parted, Annie had called out to him._

"_Armin!"_

_He had turned to look at her. She was smiling._

"_I'll see you again."_

"_I wouldn't bet on it." Armin had sighed._

"_Well I would. I'll risk everything to find my way back to you."_

* * *

><p>Armin was jolted back to reality by the sudden entrance of Eren. Armin sat up, and he could see a multitude of emotions on his friend's face.<p>

"Eren? What's wrong?"

"Annie's out… She… She's asking for you."

"_I'm going to gamble too! And here's my wager!"_

Armin stumbled to his feet, running out of the room. It was high time he placed a bet of his own in this crazy game of love and murder.


	5. Day 6: Dance With Me

**A/N: Phew this one took a while! This is my longest Aruani week fic so far, so please enjoy! TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ABUSE, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP, MINOR VIOLENCE.**

**Prompt: "Dance With Me". Modern high school AU - House parties are not Armin's thing, but it's the end of the school year, and he knows she will be there.**

Armin sat at the side of the room, watching the events of the party unfold before his eyes. Arriving at a party with his two best friends who were also in a relationship had not been a good idea. Eren and Mikasa had wanted to dance (or more specifically, Mikasa had dragged Eren off because she wanted to dance with him), and Armin had settled into his usual house party routine, finding a spot near the snacks and drinks, cracking open a bottle of something unidentifiable, and trying to look like he couldn't care less.

He tried to convince himself that being out there grinding on someone was exhibitionistic and immature anyway, and part of him agreed... But another part wanted nothing more than to have turned up to this party with a beautiful, special girl on his arm, someone who made him feel like nothing could hurt him ever again.

Sadly for him, in his heart there was only one candidate for that role, and she was someone else's.

That moment, as if Armin had summoned her with his thoughts, she walked into the room, and immediately all eyes were on her. The petite blonde was swaying a little on her feet already, obviously a little tipsy, but still looked stunning in a cute black minidress with long sleeves and a v-neck just low enough to show some cleavage. Annie Leonhart was here to party, and everyone knew it.

"Annie! Babe!" A yell rang out from within the dancing crowd, and out of the mass of bodies came Reiner Braun, picking Annie up and spinning her around. "Oh man, you look so fucking sexy tonight! You know I love that dress on you." Reiner put her back on her feet and kissed her messily, and Annie recoiled.

"Ugh, you are so wasted. It's only ten-thirty, Reiner."

"Hell YEAH I am! It's the last day of school!" Reiner cheered, smacking Annie's butt in a way that must have been intended as playful, but due to poor judgement hit much harder, sending poor Annie stumbling forward. Armin flinched, but didn't move. There was no way interfering would go well for him.

"Ow! Jesus Christ, that fucking hurt, asshole!" Annie shouted, glaring at Reiner icily.

"Aw baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, you know that..." Reiner grabbed Annie into a bear hug and kissed the top of her head elaborately.

"Whatever. Let's get some drinks." Annie twisted her way out of Reiner's grip and walked over to the table full of drinks, and Armin tensed up. She was so near, and yet so far away, and he couldn't stand it. Reiner followed, draping a possessive arm around Annie's waist and resting his hand on her ass. She gave him a look, but didn't press the issue as they both grabbed a drink and made their way out into the dancing crowd. Armin decided to go exploring, and wandered into the kitchen, where he was met with the sight of Sasha Braus and Connie Springer daring each other to eat spoonfuls of various herbs and spices. He remembered that this was Connie's house so he didn't worry too much about the mess being made. Next he took a walk around upstairs, and found several occupied bedrooms with only noises to be heard from within, and saw the bathroom door wide open with Jean Kirschstein on his knees puking into the toilet, and Marco Bodt and Mina Carolina trying to comfort him to little avail.

He thought about Annie. They had only ever really held a few conversations, back when they had been paired for a Science project last year, but he had cherished every moment. Everything about her intrigued and captivated him. They had been on polite terms since the project ended, and exchanged hellos in the corridors and such, but Armin yearned for more. Watching her date Reiner was like a knife through his heart every moment he saw the two together…

"You're such an asshole!"

A shout from downstairs caught Armin's attention. _That's Annie's voice..._

He rushed down the steps clumsily, only to find his path blocked by Reiner and Annie arguing.

"This is it, Reiner. It's over!" She turned to leave.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, you little bitch!" Reiner yelled, grabbing her around the waist and dragging her up the first few steps. Reiner then caught sight of Armin.

"Outta my way, Arlert."

Armin couldn't move. He was paralysed with fear.

"N-n-no." He stuttered.

"NO?!" Reiner's eyes flashed with anger. "Nobody says no to Reiner Braun, as this little slut is about to find out."

Annie's eyes widened as Reiner's words registered with her, and she renewed her efforts to escape, struggling in his grasp.

"Fine. You don't wanna play ball, I'll make you get out of my way." Reiner swung his fist and it connected with Armin's jaw. Armin fell like a ragdoll onto the stairs and Reiner stepped over him. Armin's head was spinning and he could taste blood in his mouth, but he had to stop Reiner. He struggled to his feet, only to see Eren and Mikasa at the foot of the stairs, panic and concern in their eyes.

"Eren! Mikasa! You have to help me! Reiner's going to hurt Annie!"

His friends nodded, and the three of them dashed up the stairs, reaching the landing just as Reiner slammed one of the bedroom doors. Eren and Mikasa exchanged a look, then charged at the door in perfect synchronisation, their shoulders connecting with the wood and knocking the door clean off its hinges. What they saw made Armin's heart stop. Reiner had Annie pinned to the bed, her dress and bra were pushed aside and torn, exposing her breasts, and Reiner was naked from the waist down, reaching up Annie's dress to pull off her panties.

"Hey, get the hell off her!" Eren screamed, and Mikasa ran forward, headbutting Reiner in the nose, sending him reeling, and he fell off Annie and onto the bedroom floor.

"Armin, get Annie out of here! Eren and I will take care of this jerk!" Mikasa called as Eren pulled Reiner into a headlock. Armin nodded, and as he scooped the tiny blonde girl into his arms, he spotted a dressing-gown hanging on the wardrobe door and grabbed it, throwing it over her as he carried her onto the landing and slammed the bedroom door behind him. Mercifully, he saw that the bathroom was now empty, and he carried her in, closing the door.

"Are you okay? Oh my god, he cut your cheek, you're bleeding..." Armin pulled some toilet paper off the roll and handed it to her. She held it to her face while Armin set about raiding the bathroom cabinet for plasters. He heard Annie let out a shaky breath behind him, and turned around, only to see her with tears rolling down her pale face, her whole body shaking violently.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, he's gone. I won't let him hurt you again." Armin pulled Annie into his arms, holding her close, and she tensed up for a moment. Armin held his breath, and only exhaled when he finally felt Annie relax against him, burying her face in his chest.

"Th-thank you…" she mumbled against his body. "If you guys hadn't stopped him… He… he would've…"

"Shhh, shhh, it's all right. He didn't, and that's what matters." Armin said, although inside he was seething with rage. "I can't believe anyone could even think of doing something so vile to someone as beautiful as you…"

Annie tensed up again. "You… You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course. Who doesn't?" Armin asked. It had been rhetorical, but Annie gave him an answer that chilled him to his core.

"He doesn't. I'm nothing but a body to him."

Armin decided not to push the subject, fearful of making her start to cry again. "Look, Connie's got a little sister, she's probably around your size. Let's find you something to wear." Annie nodded, slipping the bathrobe on fully and tying it around her slim waist. The two of them left the bathroom and padded down the hallway. Armin opened the door with the sparkling pink "Keep Out!" sign on it, and was greeted with the sight of two girls rolling around on the bed.

"Jesus, Ymir, you can't keep your hands off Krista for more than ten seconds can you?" Armin said. Ymir flipped him the bird and Krista buried her red face in her hands. "Look I'm sorry, but can you leave? Annie needs a moment." Armin shared a look with the couple, and the girls nodded, straightening their clothes and leaving the bedroom to rejoin the party. Annie rifled through the wardrobe as Armin sat on the bed. Of all the scenarios in which he had imagined himself alone in a bedroom with Annie Leonhart, this had never been one to cross his mind.

"Close your eyes, I'm undressing." Annie said quietly, and Armin obliged. He did not want this to be the way he first saw her nude. After a short few moments, she spoke again. "You can open your eyes now."

Armin did so, and he bit back a gasp. She was dressed in a simple pair of blue skinny jeans and a plain pink crew neck t-shirt, and yet to him she still looked like the most beautiful girl in the world. Her hair was falling haphazardly out of her messy bun, and Armin approached her slowly and reached up to pull the hair tie out. Her hair fell down around her face, and Armin smiled softly.

"You are so beautiful to me, Annie. Reiner's a shitbag who doesn't deserve to so much as breathe near you." Armin pulled her into a hug, which she returned.

"Thank you Armin…"

From downstairs, someone yelled "Slow dance time!" and changed the music. The thumping bass was replaced with the sound of an acoustic guitar.

"Dance with me?" Armin whispered. Annie looked up at him and nodded. They began to sway to the distant music, and Armin's ears finally picked up the lyrics in the song.

"_If walls break down, I will comfort you, if angels cry, oh I'll be there for you, you've saved my soul, don't leave me now, don't leave me now, oh, yeah you and me we can ride on a star, if you stay with me girl, we can rule the world, yeah you and me we can light up the sky, if you stay by my side..."_


	6. Day 7: Ice

**A/N: Ehhh this one isn't my best, but here we go anyway!**

**Prompt: "Ice". Modern AU - Armin still loves Frozen. Annie, well… not so much.**

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeease?!"

"No!"

"Oh come _on_, Annie!" Armin groaned at his best friend in despair. "I promised Sasha you'd be in costume for her Disney birthday party."

"I don't want to go to her stupid party in the first place! Let alone dressed as the ditziest Disney princess to ever grace this earth. Princess Anna is dumb."

"Get the Elsa costume then, after all, you're acting like an ice queen right now." Armin grumbled.

"Oh I know you did not just call me that…" Annie's eyes flashed, and in an instant she pinned Armin against the wall of the deserted costume shop, glaring at him.

"A-Annie… Come on, we had a deal… You know I get embarrassed when y-" Armin was cut off as Annie began to tickle him, her fingers dancing up and down Armin's sides. "Noooo! C-cut it out!" Armin laughed loudly, squirming under Annie's relentless tickling. "Alright, I take it back!"

Annie stepped back, and Armin collapsed on the floor in a giggling heap.

"That was _so _unfair! You promised you'd never tickle me in public after last time!" He tried and failed to sound angry through his laughter.

"Last time was an accident. You'd never kicked anyone before."

"Yeah, but the one time I _did_ kick someone, it was a little old lady!" Armin pointed out.

"Just get up and let's buy these stupid costumes." Annie sighed, extending her hand down to him, which he took. She helped him up, and her hand remained in his for a little too long once he was on his feet, and their eyes met, and they both jumped, pulling their respective hands back to their sides. Armin blushed, and Annie turned her back to him to look at the costumes, although unbeknownst to him she was also blushing profusely.

She started searching for the outfit in her size. Armin simply watched her. He had been friends with Annie for the longest time, they had known each other since they were eleven years old, but only in the past year had he become aware of her in other ways… He found himself noticing the way her clothes clung to her slim but proportionately curved frame, the way her blue eyes lit up like Christmas whenever she talked about something she was interested in, even the way she would play with a strand of her hair when she was nervous. It was last year, however, when he had finally worked out what he was feeling. He had seen her waiting for him near the library in town, and it had been a hot summer's day. She was normally never seen in feminine clothing, but that day, she was wearing a navy blue sundress that was billowing in the breeze, and Armin's heart had burst with an unexplainable feeling that he later found a name for: love.

"Oi, snap out of it dolly daydream." Annie said, elbowing him in the ribs, and he was jolted back to reality. "Don't you need to buy your outfit?"

"Oh. Um. I already bought mine… I kinda bargained on you being willing to be Anna, so I'm going to be Kristoff."

"Ar-min!" Annie groaned. "Everyone's going to think we're a couple!"

"They already do anyway, what's the harm?" Armin said with a shrug. Annie rolled her eyes as they bought her costume and left the shop together.

* * *

><p>"Armin! Annie! You're here!" Sasha squealed in delight as she opened the door dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. "Ohmygosh, you two look so cute!" She pulled them both into a hug.<p>

Armin grinned and adjusted the woolly hat perched atop his blonde hair. They stepped inside and joined the rest of the party. Music was playing, and everyone was decked out in fantastic Disney outfits. Armin saw Eren and Mikasa dressed as Tarzan and Jane, Krista and Ymir as Tinkerbelle and Peter Pan, Jean, Marco and Mina as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy, Reiner and Bertholdt as Copper and Tod from Fox and the Hound, and… _That's odd, _Armin thought, _I can't see C-_

"Armin! Bro!" Suddenly a bundle of white barrelled into him from his left, and he stumbled, nearly falling over. As if on cue, there was Connie. "I didn't know you guys were coming as characters from Frozen too!" He was dressed in an Olaf the Snowman onesie.

"Well, everyone's here! Time to start the games!" Sasha announced with a grin.

"Games?" Armin and Annie said in unison, sharing a look.

_This can only end badly…_

* * *

><p>"Okay, truth or dare's over!" Sasha announced as Ymir returned from the opposite side of the room, having been dared by Reiner to eat a leaf from Sasha's mother's house plant. "Let's spice things up a bit with… SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN!"<p>

"Oh god, Sasha…" Mikasa said quietly, as everyone else groaned collectively.

"Everyone's names are in this hat, I'll pick who's going into the cupboard under the stairs first." Sasha drew a piece of paper. "Annie!"

Annie rolled her eyes and walked over to the cupboard, opening it and climbing in. Armin fidgeted nervously. He hoped whoever went in there wouldn't want to kiss her. He didn't think he could stand it if someone else kissed her before he got the chance…

He was so lost in his thoughts it took a few minutes before he noticed Connie shaking him.

"Dude, it's you! Get in there!" he said in a hushed tone so Annie wouldn't hear.

"Wh-what!?"Armin's jaw dropped.

"Come on, get going!" Connie pulled Armin to his feet and dragged him over to the cupboard. He opened the door, shoved Armin in, and then swung it shut. Armin stumbled and fell, his knees connecting with the floor.

"Who's there?" Armin heard Annie ask from somewhere in front of him. He couldn't see a thing.

"It's me. Armin." he replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm back here." Armin heard fumbling, then the small space was illuminated by light from Annie's phone screen. He got to his feet and approached her tentatively.

"So… We, uh… Should probably go along with the game… They'll probably get mad if we don't…"

"Armin, wait. There's something I want to say first." Annie looked up at him.

_This is it. She's going to tell me she's not interested, _Armin thought.

"I... shit. I really like you. A lot. What happens in here is whatever, but… I'd like to, you know… be together."

Armin's heart turned somersaults in his ribcage. "R-really?"

"Are you gonna be my boyfriend or not, idiot?" Annie sighed, rolling her eyes. Armin laughed.

"I am. Without a doubt." he told her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Get over here and kiss me then."

Armin took another step forward and pulled Annie into his arms. Their lips met, softly and sweetly at first, then more passionately as their mouths moved together in perfect harmony. Annie's phone fell out of her hand onto the floor, plunging the pair into darkness again, and she slipped her arms around Armin's neck. The kiss broke briefly as Annie paused for air, and Armin leaned closer, whispering into her ear.

"Guess you're not such an ice queen after all."

Annie smacked him in the shoulder and pulled him down into another kiss. Unfortunately for them, at that moment the door swung wide open.

"You see? You SEE! I told you it would work!" Sasha shouted, as the party guests took in Annie and Armin's position.

"You _planned _this?" Annie asked her accusingly.

"Yes! You two have been dancing around each other for years, so we decided to help you!" Sasha grinned.

Armin and Annie looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Well Sasha, thanks, I guess." Armin said with a chuckle. "Still, I always knew I'd be able to melt her frozen heart someday." He pulled Annie close and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Cut it out, you prat." Annie tried to sound annoyed, but the affection in her voice betrayed her, and she instead tilted her head up to press her lips against his.

"Whoa, okay, looks like we need to find another game to play! We'll leave you lovebirds to it!" Connie laughed, closing the door on the kissing couple.


	7. Author's Note (Concerning Day Eight)

**Author's note: Hi everyone! Apologies that this isn't a fic. **

**The eighth and final day of Aruani week can be used as a free space to post whatever you want, and so I'd like to take this opportunity to promote my multichapter Aruani fic "Mark it Up"(based on the tally mark AU post that does the rounds on tumblr every so often). It's a modern AU featuring all of our favourite Shingekis, with Aruani as the main pairing and side pairings including Ereri, YumiKuri and EruHan (with more to be added over time).**

**You can find it on my profile here! I just posted a new chapter and I'd be delighted if you read it and let me know what you think!**

**Thank you!**

** - Sophie**


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